


The Sun On The Horizon, Book One - Earth

by Caprice



Series: The Sun On the Horizon [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-02
Updated: 2010-10-02
Packaged: 2017-10-12 08:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caprice/pseuds/Caprice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set toward the end of Season Five. Daniel is kidnapped on Earth and spirited away. Far from home, he becomes enmeshed in a web of intrigue and deception, and finds that some Goa'uld are not like the others. Jack, Sam and Teal'c are determined to search the entire galaxy for him, and they may just have to. Along the way they will all meet friends and foes, both new and old, and discover just how wonderous and dangerous the worlds of the Stargate are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The Nandi song of farewell rose melodiously into the evening air, the achingly sad refrain melding with a joyful happiness that spoke of friends that were well met and soon to be missed.

SG1 moved slowly down the avenue of brightly dressed people, reaching out to grasp as many waving hands as possible. The smiles on their faces matched those of the inhabitants of this and the seven surrounding villages who had congregated to farewell the new friends now returning to their own world. The brilliant evening sunset slanted crimson rays across the sky, adding to the colourful display of swaths of vibrant flowering bushes that lined every pathway in the villages. Waving palm fronds shaded the long huts and communal gathering places from the sun. A more idyllic setting SG1 had never before found.

Their week-long mission was over. Trade in medicines and unique technology agreed upon and more importantly a valuable ally made. This area of P6Z 294 was a paradise by anyone's standards, untouched by their enemy's hand. The four seasoned explorers had arrived weary, unenthused and expecting nothing out of the ordinary. A week later they were all feeling renewed, refreshed in both body and soul. The tensions and dramas of the past few months were forgotten. Even better, they were thinking, feeling and acting like a team again - like friends. The uncertainty over Teal'c's allegiances, the bitterness caused by the incident with Reece, the dozens of little gripes and complaints with each other created by five unrelenting years of fighting on the front lines were, if not forgotten, then at least put into proper perspective. Simply put - they were happy.

Jack leaned down to shake yet another chubby brown hand, yelling "Soli sa-au", - goodbye dear one - into the grinning face of the village's baker. He straightened up, his other hand now clutching a bag of freshly baked tarts. "Love these guys," he muttered to himself.

His eye swept over his teammates - easy to pick out even in this crowd of hundreds. Not one of the Nandi people stood higher than three and a half feet high. An unrelentingly cheerful people, they had welcomed the off-world visitors with astonished joy and it had been one big noisy party ever since.

Jack grinned as a long, loud laugh came from Daniel. The archaeologist had bent over to kiss goodbye the mayor's wife and was now swamped with half the female population clamouring for a kiss too. Jack shook his head. He had never seen Daniel smile and laugh so much as he had this week, reminding him of the Daniel he had first met, before grief and war had taken such a toll. Jack made a mental note to recommend Hammond take up one of the Nandi's offers - to encourage other SGC teams to visit their world for R&R.

Jack found himself laughing again at the sight of Teal'c also being swamped with well-wishers, his brilliant smile lighting up his normally imperturbable face. 'It's a good look for him. Have to make sure we come back here,' Jack thought. Turning, he smiled at Carter as she captured the Jaffa and archaeologist love fests on camera.

Grinning back at the colonel, Sam snapped a shot of him as well, noting how the past week had eased the lines in his face and put a new spring into his step. She, herself, felt more relaxed and happy than she had in a long time and was truly regretting leaving this beautiful place. All four of them had made a deep connection with the happy Nandi, the gift of love and laughter far more valuable than the trade gifts now packed onto the four FREDs waiting at the base of the Stargate.

"Dial us home, Major."

"Yes, sir." Sam shot the colonel a look that said, 'I don't really want to, though.'

Agreeing wholeheartedly with his Major's regrets, Jack moved to where his archaeologist was buried under a giggling mound of touchy feely well-wishers. Jack latched onto a pack strap and hauled Daniel upright.

Daniel sucked in a much need lungful of air and waved to his groupies. "Thanks, Jack!" He beamed at his friend. Noting the huge sack in Jack's hand he smiled again and asked, "What have you got now?"

 

"Snacks. Lots'a snacks, Danny." Jack clapped Daniel on the shoulder and dove in to the throng to extract Teal'c.

It only took another twenty minutes for them to be standing on the Stargate dais, waving with genuine affection at their new friends.

Teal'c could feel his cheeks and jaw aching with unaccustomed overuse. Waving merrily to the crowd and revelling in the feeling that the action now felt so normal, he leant over and bellowed in O'Neill's ear, "I shall regret leaving this place, O'Neill."

"I know we all do, T. Makes looking forward to coming back that much sweeter, though," Jack hollered back over the swell of singing and cheering.

"Indeed it does, O'Neill. Indeed it does."

"Um, Jack? I think my hand's gonna drop off if we keep this up much longer," Daniel grinned.

"Okay kids, let's go home."

With a final wave, SG1 turned and stepped into the wormhole, a final burst of farewell-and-return song ringing in their ears.

 

~A~

 

Daniel was still humming the song to himself as he stepped into the lobby of his apartment building that evening. The long debriefing had been more like a group of excited children telling their dad about the fantastic camp they'd been on - each of them talking over the others, eager to share the wonderful experience with the general. Finally, he'd laughingly thrown them out and told them not to come back for four days.

Before he was halfway across the lobby, the ever-watchful concierge, Mr Potts, was darting out from his rooms, calling to him.

"Doctor Jackson! Welcome home, welcome home! It's good to have you home again!"

Daniel stopped and smiled at the man. "Hello, Mr Potts. Thank you, it's nice to be home."

"Some parcels were delivered for you while you were away. I have them safe and secure. Just you wait here one moment and I'll get them." With a flash of gummy teeth he was gone again, reappearing in seconds with three large parcels, a bundle of letters and journals balanced on top.

Daniel shouldered his laptop and took the parcels. Picking up his briefcase he started to thank the wiry little concierge, but could only call an unheard "Thank you!" after the man who had already disappeared into his room again.

Stepping into the elevator, Daniel punched the button for the third floor. Alighting on 3, he walked down the corridor to apartment 36 and rang the bell. As he waited he peered at the top letter, recognising the elegant copperplate of Catherine Langford-Littlefield.

The door opened to reveal a smiling woman.

"Hello, Daniel."

"Janine! Hello. How are you?"

"Very well, thanks. You're looking very good, I must say. Have a nice trip?"

"One of the best, actually. Had a ball!"

"Ah, good for you. Just hold on a moment. It's all ready." Janine left him at the door long enough to make out that one of the parcels also bore Catherine's handwriting.

His neighbour returned bearing a large basket piled high with freshly washed and ironed laundry, a pleasant citrus smell wafting around them.

Daniel smiled his gratitude. "That's wonderful Janine, thank you. I'd be lost without you. Did you get the, er…?"

"Yes, too much, as always," Janine smiled as she scolded him.

Daniel grinned, ducked his head and then pondered how on this earth he was going to carry the laundry as well as his other burdens.

With a laugh, Janine made a shooing motion at him. "I'll throw in the delivery, Daniel."

As Janine accompanied Daniel up to the eighth floor, he found himself feeling grateful to have nice neighbours that didn't question his frequent trips away, the fact that he never left or came back with more luggage than a briefcase or backpack, or question the condition he sometimes came back in.

The cool silence of his apartment was a welcome feeling. He kicked off his shoes and wandered over to the windows, opening the blinds to the evening sky. He moved into the study, parcels and letters in hand, stopping in front of the aquarium. Everyone still alive and active thanks to the aptly named Mr Fish on 7. He smiled at them. "Hello, fishies. You're going to have some new Nandi playmates as soon as the bio guys clear them."

The fish managed to contain their excitement and continued on with their lives.

Daniel sagged down into an armchair and opened Catherine's parcel. It was a book. "The Old Kingdom and the IVth Dynasty: Architectural Timelines and their Implications On the Age of Monumental Structures of the IVth Dynasty," by Dr. Catherine Langford and Dr Ernest Littlefield. Delighted he broke open Catherine's letter and devoured the contents. His softly muttered "Oh, hello!" drifted in the silent, twilight-lit room.


	2. It's a Wonderful Town

It's A Wonderful Town

 

SG1 stood on the steps leading up to the entrance of the New York Museum of Art, the bustle of tourists, students and visitors swirling about them. In one short day Daniel had convinced his team to spend their down time with him, visiting New York and attending the lecture to be held here at the museum by Catherine and Ernest. Sam had jumped at the opportunity, she had formed a close attachment to Catherine whilst they endeavoured to get the Gate project up and running. Any chance to renew that friendship was very welcome.

Jack had also been very easy to convince - promptly coming up with a plan to swing by the museum, take in the lecture and then take Teal'c on a tour of the highlights, and lowlights, of the 'swingingest city outside of Chicago'. Culture vulture that Teal'c was, he was the first to head home from their dinner at Sam's to pack for the trip.

Daniel took a surreptitious deep breath and led his friends up the steps and into the large marble foyer. Immediately, the familiar sounds and smells of the museum filled his senses, transporting him into a state of mind where the pursuit of knowledge and the mysteries of the past were all-encompassing. Blissfully, he smiled and led the way towards the sweeping marble staircase, heading instinctively along the path his feet had trodden many times.

"Oh, Daniel? You know the way, then, do you?" Jack called from behind him.

"Yep, been here a million times, guys. Follow me!"

Daniel sailed full steam up the staircase, unaware of the disconcerted looks shared by his three followers as they drifted past a large sign announcing the lecture program, the helpful arrow pointing in the opposite direction.

Daniel turned out to be quite an informative tour guide, taking them through galleries piled high with displays from every corner of the ancient world. From the Great Treasuries of Europe, to Greek and Roman Art, artefacts from Ancient Asia to Native American art, they wandered through hall after hall listening to Daniel's softly spoken words. For an expert on Ancient Egypt, they were once again struck by the vast array of knowledge Daniel held on so many different cultures. As he did so often in the field, Daniel imparted his information generously and modestly, focusing not on the people who had discovered the items but on the way of life of the people who had created them.

After nearly an hour's rambling they found themselves heading towards the northern corner of the building, where the museum's impressive Egyptian collection was held. As they moved closer to the entrance lined with silent imposing statues of long dead pharaohs and crouching stone hippos, Daniel's monologue trailed off, his feet dragging slower and slower until he stopped completely, staring bemusedly at the genuine stone temple that could be seen within.

Teal'c, Jack and Sam halted alongside Daniel, all struck with the uncanny feeling of déjà vu from being in a place they had all seen only in a virtual reality.

"This is the place, huh?" Jack asked softly. Tilting his head up slightly he noticed the stone tablet fixed to the lintel of the doorway, proudly proclaiming the name of "Jackson Hall."

Daniel blew out a noisy gust of air. "Yeah…"

Sam touched Daniel's arm gently. "Daniel, we don't have to go in."

Surprised by the look of concern in Sam's eyes, Daniel smiled. "Oh, no, no. It's okay. I actually like coming here. I used to come down regularly on weekends when I was living in Chicago. I kinda feel closer to my parents when I'm here, anyway." He grinned at the doubting looks on their faces. "Besides, they have some really cool stuff here. I just stay away from the, er, you know… temple."

Daniel forged ahead into the gallery, one hand gently patting the brass plaque on the side of the doorway as he passed.

Jack shook his head in wonder at his friend's resilience. "Mr Indestructible!" he muttered as he sauntered after Daniel.

Teal'c and Sam paused at the brass plaque, reading the commemoration to Doctors Claire and Melburn Jackson. Teal'c considered the plaque, a strange feeling of wonder and regret building inside his heart. "I would like one day to commemorate the lives of my parents, in a manner such as this." Gently he reached out and brushed his fingers across the lettering. Daniel's parents had a permanent place in which to be remembered. His own parents were lost to him - buried on distant, inaccessible planets with not even a stone cairn to mark their resting places. Their memory resided only in his heart. Upon reflection, Teal'c decided that perhaps that was enough.

Sam echoed his thoughts. "My mother is buried in South Carolina. I hardly ever get to visit her grave. But I keep her with me, as much as I can." She smiled up at Teal'c, amazed they were both getting maudlin in the middle of a museum.

Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement. "As do we both," he replied.

Shaking off the sombre mood they strolled into the gallery to find the colonel sizing up a life-sized statue of an Egyptian warrior, and Daniel engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with two of the staff.

They spent another half hour wandering through the exhibits, Daniel pointing out the history behind many of the pieces and correcting the odd mistranslation. Unconsciously, or perhaps not, they all gave the temple in the centre of the hall a wide berth. As they drifted past a dazzling collection of gold and faience jewellery, Daniel paused and drank in the enormous panoramic photograph serving as background on the wall behind the display cases. The photograph showed the Nile River, glittering blue water matching the intensity of the blue sky. On the far bank, steep rugged cliffs rose high into the sky, burnished a glorious gold by the setting sun. Just entering the right side of the picture, two matched feluccas sailed serenely on their way, barely leaving a ripple behind them.

Jack noted the wistful smile on Daniel's face. "Favourite spot, Daniel?" he asked.

"Yeah, sort of," Daniel replied, his eyes not leaving the peaceful scene so reminiscent of his many years in Egypt. Waving a hand at the picture he continued, "When my parents died they were cremated. Their executor was a family friend and he kept the ashes for me until I turned eighteen. Their final wish was to have their ashes scattered on the Nile and Uncle Ezrah thought he should give me the option of doing it when I was older."

"Uncle Ezrah?" Jack queried.

"Yeah, nice old fellow. Not really an uncle but a good family friend. He gave me the ashes a month after my eighteenth birthday. I was heading to Egypt anyway, so before starting on the dig I hired a little felucca, just like those, and sailed up the Nile." Daniel smiled. The memory of those wonderful days and quiet nights on the little boat were some of his most treasured moments.

Jack grinned, picturing a young and adventurous Daniel making his own way in the world. "Oh, to be eighteen again," he sighed.

"It must have been a wonderful trip, Daniel," added Sam.

"It was, it was. So peaceful and unhurried. Time really does flow differently on the Nile. And it was a good way for me to connect a little with my parents. They did a similar trip when they first fell in love. I retraced their route - my father wrote all the details in his journal. Six nights sailing up to Luxor, camping on the shore each night, walking in the moonlight, retracing the steps of so many people who had passed that way over millennia. Magic." Daniel turned to his friends, giving them a sheepish smile.

"You are indeed fortunate to have such a memory to treasure, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c remarked. "Did you disperse the ashes of your parents on this trip?"

Daniel nodded, pointing to the cliff-tops in the picture. "Yes. A spot very similar to this one. It's a quiet little cove, hidden away in a bend in the river. Not many people stop there. When my parents stopped there for the night they climbed up to the top of the cliff and sat for hours watching the moon rise up and over the sky." He drifted to a halt, caught up in the memory of the beauty of the place - cooling breezes and gentle scents of the desert almost tangible to him. Quietly, he resumed his tale. "Dad proposed to Mama there on the cliff-top, in the moonlight with the gleam of the river below them. I scattered their ashes there. The winds came out from the desert and took them away over the cliffs to the river."

Sam wrapped an arm around Daniel's waist and gently hugged him. "That's lovely, Daniel. A fitting farewell for such free spirits."

Daniel hugged her back. The silent appreciation coming from Jack and Teal'c felt as palpable as Sam's hug. "Of course, it does have another significance for me - they told me I was conceived right there on the cliff-top, that very same night." He grinned at Jack's scrunched face.

Jack clapped his hands together and turned around, desperately looking anywhere but at Daniel. Some things were just not meant to be public knowledge. "That's great, Daniel. Thanks for sharing. Okay, kids, time to move on I think."

The others turned away from the visions of Daniel's conception and trailed after their leader.

"I was born in Egypt too, you know, Jack?"

"Yep, knew that Daniel. Is this the way out?" Somehow, to Jack's sensibilities, talk of Daniel's parents doing the deed was almost as squicky as thinking about his own parents. Best not to go there.

"Yes, born right on time. Exactly two months before the wedding."

"Oh, for crying out loud."

"Hey, Teal'c," Daniel turned to his friend as they made their way out of the Egyptian halls. "We should take you to Egypt one day, travel up the Nile to Nubia. Well, really it's the Sudan now, but the Nubian lands were probably where your ancestors lived before being taken by the, er, rulers to their new, er homes, if you get my drift?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "I do indeed, Daniel Jackson. I would be most interested to visit the lands of my forefathers."

Daniel's face lit up, his mind already racing ahead to planning a trip for the four of them to share. "The Nubian people still have a wonderfully rich culture, despite being uprooted, invaded, overthrown and generally picked on over the centuries."

He turned to Sam who was watching the colonel - who seemed to be talking to a statue. "Sam, will you come too?"

"I'd love to, Daniel. Our last trip there was a bit rushed. Actually, I'd bet Janet would love to come too. She was itching to get into the markets in Cairo."

"Great!" Daniel sailed out into the statue-lined hallway, regaling Teal'c with a list of sites they had to visit.

Sam turned back to prise the colonel away from a lovely statuette of the goddess Hathor with whom he was holding a snarling, decidedly one-sided conversation, and followed them.

*A*

The lecture was a resounding success. Their papers presented in a succinct and entertaining manner, Catherine and Ernest were the toast of the academics present. As the two professors bounced from group to group of geeky groupies, SG1 could do little more than exchange hugs and a couple of words of congratulations with them before they were supplanted by more pushy professors. Jack managed to arrange dinner with them in a bellowed conversation over the heads of a couple of excited Egyptologists from France who refused to stop chattering for a second.

Daniel gave up trying to speak with Ernest and waved goodbye. Turning away from the throng he glanced about the lecture theatre. A cold shock of recognition swam through him as he found himself staring directly at Steven Rayner.

"Oh, jeez."

Swiftly he turned away, praying his former colleague, his former friend, had not seen him.

"Daniel? What's up?" Jack was at his shoulder; automatically scanning the crowd, threat assessing.

"Uhm, just… it's Steven. Over there," Daniel crooked his thumb over his shoulder.

Jack scowled at the archaeologist who had tried to make life so difficult for Daniel. At least the man had bought the cover story about the Osiris jar and the disappearance of Sarah Gardner, but he had been decidedly hostile towards Daniel and that made him a potential threat in Jack O'Neill's book.

"Want me to deck him for ya?" Jack offered politely.

Daniel snorted with laughter. "Ah, no. Not today anyway. Thanks all the same."

"Really, it's no trouble. Only take a minute."

"No, no. Best not."

"Well, if you're sure," Jack huffed in disappointment.

"I'm sure." Daniel grinned, then turned to Sam. "Hey Sam, how about I take you shopping while Teal'c takes Jack sightseeing?"

Thwarted in her attempts to get close to Catherine, Sam brightened. "I'd love to, Daniel. But don't you want to stay here, talk Dynastic timelines with the in-crowd?"

"Oh, I don't think anyone here is interested in anything I'm allowed to say, Sam. I'd much rather tackle the sale crowds at Macey's than this bunch."

Sam scowled at Daniel, opening her mouth to defend his credibility, but was cut off by a loud protesting colonel.

"Hey, since when did I become a tour guide?" Jack glared at Teal'c who was lurking behind Daniel, a smug look of anticipation on his face.

"Since you offered to show me the sights of your pl…, city, O'Neill."

"That was four years ago!"

"Indeed it was. High time we began, is it not?" Teal'c stared O'Neill down, daring him to weasel out of the offer once again. The refrains of a tune from one of the many musicals he had watched so often came to him and he began to hum softly.

"It's beyond me how anyone can look so smug and hum at the same time," Jack protested as he meekly trailed his team through the throng and out the doors. "And what the hell are you humming, anyway?"

"I think it's 'New York, New York', Jack," offered Daniel helpfully.

"The Bronx is up, the Battery's down…" la la'ed Carter.

"Very funny, Carter. Don't you have Basic Training refresher courses coming up?"

"Nope, I'm pretty sure I don't, sir. What I do have coming up is some serious shopping to do with Daniel."

Sam linked her arm through Daniel's and began to haul him down the hallway. "We'll meet you outside the hotel at 1800, sir. Have fun, Teal'c."

Daniel managed a cheeky wave goodbye before he was dragged out of sight.

Jack found himself facing a humming Jaffa. "Oh, for Pete's sake. Come on then, before I tell Bra'tac you were humming in public." He grabbed Teal'c's arm and propelled him forward. "At least if you're gonna be musical, try something with a little class. Something by Fred Astaire."

Teal'c threw O'Neill a look of complete contempt. "I much prefer the singing and dancing capabilities of Gene Kelly to those of Fred Astaire, O'Neill."

Jack gaped at his friend, trying not to trip down the stairs as he did so. "Oh, come on. Fred had style, class, elegance. Gene was nowhere near his quality."

"The athleticism and inventiveness of Gene Kelly make him far superior to Fred Astaire, O'Neill. I found Astaire to be quite… stiff in his movements."

"Stiff? You can't be serious, T. The man was grace personified." Jack shook his head at a lost cause. "You, my friend, are talking out of your hat."

Teal'c quirked an eyebrow to check on the location of the bandana he wore. Perhaps a reference to the talking hat of the Harry Potter novels? I shall consult General Hammond.

"He is stiff, O'Neill. Stiff."

They came out onto the busy sidewalk, pausing a moment to get their bearings.

"However, I will allow that neither could produce a very melodic song, O'Neill," Teal'c concluded.

"Yeah, well, I'm with ya there buddy. TAXI!!"

*A*

"Doctor Jackson! Doctor Jackson! Wait, please, Doctor Jackson!"

Sam and Daniel had just left the museum shop when the clatter of high heels and the breathless call stopped them in the museum's foyer. Turning in surprise, they both reached out to arrest the momentum of the woman whose headlong chase after them ended in a skid on the waxed floor.

"Oh, heaven, excuse me." She backed up a couple of steps, revealing a flushed face framed with curly black hair. She seemed to be in her thirties, dressed in a sensible but not particularly fashionable blue skirt and jacket. Sam was struck by the odd notion that she looked like a female version of Daniel.

"Can I help you?" Daniel asked, smiling briefly as the women straightened herself up.

The woman took a deep breath and peered carefully into Daniel's face. "You are Daniel Jackson? Son of Melburn and Claire Jackson, aren't you?" she asked hopefully.

Daniel tilted his head to one side and gave a short nod. "Yes, yes I am. And you are?"

A brilliant smile sparkled in the woman's face. "My name is Merrie Stern." She stuck out her hand to Daniel who automatically shook it. "I'm so glad I finally found you, Doctor Jackson. I've been looking for you for years."

"Really?" Daniel exchanged a bemused look with Sam before returning his attention to the woman. "Why?"

Merrie Stern blushed a little at Daniel's blunt question. She didn't blame him being taken aback; she must look like the mad woman of New York, racing after a man in the middle of the museum like that. She backed up a few more paces, out of the stream of visitors and smiled when Daniel and Sam followed her.

"Oh, gee, where to begin. Well, some four years ago I was going through my grandfather's estate, after he died. Obviously. Uh, he had a very extensive collection of texts that he had willed to the library at the University of Connecticut. He was a professor there for many years. Oh, of archaeology," she added in response to Daniel's raised eyebrows.

"Anyway he had a bad habit of leaving personal notes, photographs and other things inside his books. So I was going through everything when I found a letter. It was from your father, Doctor Jackson. I read it and it asked my grandfather to keep some of your father's journals safe for him until he returned to Egypt."

Daniel found his back straightening, his attention now completely focused on the woman before him. "When was the letter dated?"

"1973." Merrie Stern halted, knowing the cause of the slight change of expression on Daniel's face.

"Were the journals with your grandfather's possessions?" Daniel pressed her, a sudden feeling of excitement running through him.

"Well, no. That was the problem. I searched through everything and there were no journals," she sucked in a quick breath and went on, not wanting the flash of disappointment on Daniel's face to become permanent. "Then I realised that my grandfather was living in Egypt in 1973. He kept a house in Luxor, beautiful views of the Nile… But, that's not important. Um, my brother and I went out there to clear that house up too, and after much searching through his library, well, we found three journals belonging to Doctor Melburn Jackson." Merrie paused triumphantly, pleased to see Daniel's face brighten.

Daniel shook his head in wonder. "That's amazing. I thought I had all of my parent's journals. They're all dated and I've never noticed any missing from the sequence." He smiled at Sam and Merrie. "I don't suppose you have them with you?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, goodness, no. I never expected you to be here. I'm sorry. I didn't plan to be here myself. I was visiting a friend this week and she became ill so I stayed a few more days to help her out. Coming here was a last minute decision. I'm catching the evening train back to Connecticut tonight."

Daniel nodded, his mind leaping ahead to plans for a detour to Connecticut on the way back to Colorado.

Sam spoke up, seeing the wheels turning in Daniel's head. "How did you recognise Daniel today?"

"I heard Doctor Langford talking about you and by the time I managed to get close enough to her to ask if she knew where you were, you were heading out the door." Merrie smiled again, relieved that the burden of executing her grandfather's wishes was lifting from her shoulders. "Please be assured that your father's journals are quite safe and in good condition. It will be a pleasure to hand them over to you, Doctor Jackson."

"Oh, Daniel, please. And thank you, thank you so much for taking care of them." Daniel reached out and clasped her hand, a goofy grin spreading over his face.

They talked for a few more minutes, phone numbers and addresses were exchanged and promises to meet in the coming week made. Then Merrie headed on out of the museum, leaving Sam and Daniel to trade bemused looks.

"Wow." Sam could well imagine what Daniel was feeling. The prospect of even a small, unknown part of his parent's lives being revealed must be overwhelming.

"I'll say." Daniel felt his brain was spinning in circles, unable to grasp a coherent thought. This called for something special to celebrate.

"Coffee?"

"Oooh, yeah. Big, big, strong coffee." Daniel grabbed Sam's hand and towed her toward the museum café. That's what he liked about Sam - she always knew just what he needed.

*A*

Jack paused at the window of an antique shop, searching for the wording that had caught his eye. There it was - in flowing handwritten script, a card describing the item on show: "Ra".

"Holeee buckets!" he exclaimed. "T! You gotta see this." Grinning he grabbed Teal'c and hauled him up to the window to gaze in wonderment at the small metal statuette. Awed, Jack read the card aloud; "1928 chrome hood ornament from a Stutz Bearcat depicting the Egyptian god Ra. Very rare. $150.00." He snorted with laughter, the little statuette glaring back at him with all the possible dignity a hood ornament could manage, its head-dress flowing behind it in a stylised breeze.

Teal'c quirked an eyebrow at the figure. "A hood ornament?"

Jack nodded, "Goes on the hood of a car. They used to be really popular." He scowled, remembering the "real" Ra. "Serves him right. Pretentious, overdressed, delusional upstart."

"Daniel Jackson's birthday is next month," Teal'c stated.

Jack's grin returned in full force. "Teal'c, my man… I like the way you think." He dived into the store, sedately followed by Teal'c and emerged shortly after triumphantly carrying his parcel. "We'll stick it on that old heap he calls a jeep and surprise him. He'll love it!"

*A*

The evening light cast golden touches on the trees in the small square across the road from where Jack and Teal'c waited for Daniel and Sam. Dinner was planned for 7.30 at the Russian Tea Rooms. They were late. One hour and ten minutes late to be precise. Jack sighed, annoyance rapidly sliding into concern. His teammates were quite capable of taking care of themselves in the big city, yet neither had contacted him or Teal'c to advise of a delay.

For the third time he pulled his cell phone out and hit the speed dial button for Daniel's phone. As with the two previous attempts he connected to a message advising the phone he was dialling was out of service. What the hell did that mean anyway? Daniel was somewhere in the city, probably within a ten block radius. He was in range and besides, Daniel, like the rest of them, kept his cell phone turned on the entire time he was away from the base. Alien incursions were notoriously unmindful of one's holiday plans.

Jack shook his head at Teal'c, noting his own concern was being mirrored on the Jaffa's face. He stabbed at the buttons on the phone and once more tried Carter's number. As with previous attempts the phone rang and rang and was not answered. Jack lowered the phone from his ear, on the verge of hitting the disconnect button when he heard a faint voice answer the call. Jerking the phone back up he barked, "Carter? Where the hell are you?"

"Hello? Caller, would you please identify yourself." Not Carter. A male voice. On - yep, Jack swiftly checked the phone number id - Carter's cell.

Exchanging a confused look with Teal'c he snapped out, "Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. Who the hell is this?"

"This is Sergeant Michael O'Rourke, NYPD. Sir, could you please identify the person you were trying to contact on this phone."

"Police," Jack mouthed to Teal'c. Maybe Carter had dropped her phone somewhere. "I'm trying to contact Major Samantha Carter, US Air Force. This is her phone, isn't it?"

"Please hold the line open, sir." Jack listened to muffled background noise over the phone line, other voices, something about I.D. With a horrible chill starting to rise up his spine, Jack knew Carter had not dropped her phone.

The voice returned. "Ah, sir, I regret to inform you that Major Carter has been the victim of an apparent mugging here in Central Park. The paramedics are attending her to at the moment. If you can give me your details…"

Carter? Mugged? Jack knew how unlikely that was. He cut off the rest of the polite policeman's spiel and bellowed into the phone. "Is she alright? Let me speak to her."

"I am sorry sir, the victim is unconscious at this present moment. Can I have your…"

Jack was moving down the street before he even realised he didn't know where he was heading, Teal'c following closely. "Where are you? Give me a location. I'm outside the Carlton Hotel, on 105th."

"Oh, you're in New York, sir? There's nothing you can do here. You can meet your friend at St Mary's Hospital. It's…"

With a monumental effort Jack reigned in his temper at the helpful policeman. "Sergeant? Listen, is Doctor Jackson there? Let me talk to him please."

"I'm sorry, sir. Who is Doctor Jackson?"

The icy chill on Jack's spine swept up over his scalp. "Doctor Daniel Jackson. He was with Major Carter. He should be there with her." The look of alarm on Teal'c's face was making him even more uneasy.

"Major Carter was alone when she was found, sir." The sergeant's voice faded as he called out to those nearby, "Is there a Doctor Jackson here?" Silence. The policeman's voice returned to Jack, "No one here by that name, sir."

Taking a deep breath, Jack replied as calmly as he could. "Okay, first things first. Where exactly are you?"

"By the Pond, just west of Grand Army Plaza."

"I'm on East 56th and Madison. Direct me."

"Head west to 5th Avenue, turn north for three blocks, then turn west on 59th."

Jack grabbed Teal'c's arm and began to run. "Right, we're on our way. Sargent, listen carefully to me. We may have a serious situation here. Major Carter and Doctor Jackson were due to meet my colleague and myself for dinner over an hour ago. There is no reason to my knowledge, why Doctor Jackson would have left Major Carter. I've been trying his cell phone for the last hour and it's out of service. If he isn't there, then I'm worried something may have happened to him as well. Can you get some officers and do a sweep of the immediate area?"

"How do you know he didn't separate from the young lady before the attack?" The officer's voice was curious yet obviously not wanting to expend police time on a search for someone who was probably shopping.

"Sergeant, Doctor Jackson is probably the most responsible person on this planet. He would not go off without telling me." Jack dodged around a group of shoppers and plunged ahead up the sidewalk, ignoring the curious looks and glares from passers-by as the two men charged along the pavement.

"Major Carter did still have her wallet and phone in her possession," admitted O'Rourke.

Crap. Daniel.

"Sergeant, the major and Doctor Jackson work for a highly classified government project. It is quite possible this is not just a mugging. If Doctor Jackson is not there it could be he was attacked as well. Maybe even abducted."

Teal'c's head came up at that statement, worry and outrage showing clearly in his features. Cruising effortlessly around the people in the street, the two pounded across a road full of stalled traffic and on towards the park.

O'Rourke could clearly pick up the sincerity in the Jack's voice. "Can you describe the doctor for me, sir?"

"Six foot, 170 pounds, slim but well built. Short light brown hair, blue eyes, glasses. He was wearing blue jeans, red shirt, brown leather jacket, black boots," Jack rasped out, narrowly avoiding a collision with a group of nuns.

Muffled talking came down the phone line, and then O'Rourke returned. "I've got some uniforms looking around the area, Colonel. Can you keep this line open, please?"

"Sure thing. Thank you, Sargent. We'll be there in a few minutes. Can you ask the paramedics to keep Carter there till we arrive, if she's not in any danger?"

"Yes, sir. They say she's stable."

"Thanks." Talking and running flat out was not easy. Jack tucked in behind Teal'c as his friend cleared a path through the evening pedestrian traffic. As the people thinned out again he drew abreast of Teal'c and filled him in.

"Carter's down. Daniel's disappeared. I don't think it's a local crime. Call Hammond, tell him what's happened. See if he can rustle up some help."

Without wasting breath on a reply, Teal'c pulled his phone out, dialled and reported to Hammond in clear precise tones.

*A*

George Hammond was sitting, relaxing in his back yard, one eye keeping tabs on his granddaughters who were playing with their dog. The rest of his attention was absorbed in the latest Harry Potter novel. The late afternoon sun shone down warmly, the garden a haven of peace and childish giggles. An idle thought crossed his mind that maybe his state of peace had something to do with the fact that Jack O'Neill was on the other side of the country.

Silently rebuking himself for uncharitable thoughts, Hammond smiled and reached for his tall tumbler of ginger ale, anticipating the taste of the little something extra that had slipped into the glass. Before he could even take the first sip, his cell-phone shrilled and all expectation of a quiet weekend went out the proverbial window. The cell was his direct link to the base. A call when he was off-duty was only ever going to be bad news.

"Hammond," he barked out.

The loud blare of a car horn assaulted his eardrum. Sounds of a busy street and heavy breathing gave him pause to think the caller was a wrong number. Then the familiar tones of the only alien known to be on the planet addressed him.

"General Hammond. This is Teal'c. We are in New York City. Major Carter has been assaulted and Daniel Jackson is unaccounted for at this moment. O'Neill and I are moving towards Major Carter's position. O'Neill requests you arrange assistance for us in locating Daniel Jackson."

Succinct and to the point.

Hammond wasted no time in responding. Rising from his lounge chair he headed indoors. "I understand, Teal'c. I'll have a squad of MP's with you in ten minutes. What's your location?"

O'Neill's voice was heard in the background, giving directions. "Major Carter is located by the Pond in Central Park, near Grand Army Plaza and 59th Street," Teal'c relayed to Hammond. "We shall arrive in several minutes. O'Neill wishes me to inform you he fears this may not be a civil disturbance. We have been trying to contact Major Carter and Daniel Jackson for the last hour and twenty-three minutes. We have been unsuccessful."

"Very well, Teal'c. Keep this line open. I'll come back to you in a minute."

Reaching for the land-line phone, Hammond felt anger stealing through him. One of his officers assaulted, his most valuable civilian consultant missing. If this were the work of someone with an agenda against the SGC they would rue the day they ever took him on.

An hour and twenty-three minutes. A lot could happen in that time to an unsuspecting archaeologist.

*A*

Swinging around the corner across Grand Army Plaza, Jack could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles along the park side of the street. Taking their lives in their hands they dived through the traffic, to fetch up on the verge of the park. Within minutes they arrived, breathless and sweating amid a gaggle of police and paramedics.

"I'm looking for Sergeant O'Rourke?" called Jack.

A short, friendly-looking man turned towards them, Sam's phone still in his hand. "That would be me. Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack pulled to a halt in front of the policeman as Teal'c continued on to drop to his knees by Carter's side.

"How is Major Carter?" Teal'c demanded of the paramedics.

The female paramedic answered him. "She has minor scratches and bruising to her hands and face. No other serious wounds or fractures. We think she's been drugged with something. We can't get her to wake up - even Narcan had no effect."

Tenderly, Teal'c brushed a lock of hair off Sam's brow, his face betraying his anger at those who would hurt his friend this way.

Jack peered over Teal'c's shoulder, getting a good look at the pale face of his 2IC. "Will she be okay?"

The paramedic nodded. "We'll know more when we get to the hospital, sir." Her eyes glanced over him, clearly impatient to be moving.

Jack nodded his consent, still trying to come to grips with how quickly their holiday had come to a violent and uncertain halt. Carter should be bitching about how cold the borscht is, not lying there looking like death warmed over. And Daniel - where the hell is he?

Pulling Teal'c to one side he swapped Sam's phone for Teal'c's own with the still open connection to General Hammond. "Stay with her, Teal'c. If this is a strike against us she could still be a target."

The look on Teal'c's face clearly declared that anyone trying to get Sam away from him was doomed to a short and painful life. "What of Daniel Jackson, O'Neill?"

"What indeed?" echoed Jack. "Sergeant?" he called out. "Any sign of Doctor Jackson?"

O'Rourke walked over to them, shaking his head. "Sorry, colonel. We've swept the immediate vicinity - no sign of anyone meeting the doctor's description. Are you sure he's in trouble?"

"I'm not sure of anything at the moment. Only that Daniel should be here, would be here if he were able. That he's not tells me something is wrong and the quicker we start looking for him the quicker we find him."

As if to confirm his thoughts, two jeeps full of military police swept up to the curb, disgorging eight MPs in full uniform.

Jack took a deep breath and headed towards the MPs, orders already tripping from his tongue, Daniel's absurd little statue of Ra clutched tightly in his fist.


	3. So It Begins

Daniel lay on the floor, naked, bound…

 

One part of his mind; the part that was not outraged at his abduction; the part that was trying hard not to come up with 101 Things Kidnappers Do To Kidnappees; the part that was not actively envisioning the panic, anguish and anger his friends would be going through; the part that was not patiently waiting for Jack O’Neill to come exploding through the door with zat guns blazing and a ‘you will not mess with my friend’ look in his eye; this part of his mind was acutely aware of the soft, warm breeze running over his body, tickling the hairs on his legs and arms with the sweet and salty flavour of the seaside.

 _Focus, dammit._

Daniel squirmed, unable to even roll to one side to alleviate his discomfort. He lay spread-eagled on a concrete floor.  Chained hand and foot to ring bolts embedded in the floor.  The building seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, somewhere by the sea if the smell of saltwater and old fish were anything to go by. 

For the first time in hours his mind was clear - a situation he feared would not last.  He was alone now, the faceless tormentors departed, no doubt working on the next phase of what they had planned for him.  Daniel sighed and wriggled again.  His shoulders burned and the overwhelming feeling of vulnerability was unnerving.  The indignities of the last hour had left him feeling drained, physically and emotionally.  He could not conceive what purpose they would serve, other than to leave him with a deep sense of foreboding.  Pushing away the memory and the accompanying embarrassment he focused instead on the events that had led him here, and realised with a jolt of fury that stabbed at his soul, that it had all been one enormous, elaborate, carefully contrived and executed… trap.

He and Sam had been strolling through the city streets towards the hotel where they were to meet Catherine, Ernest, Jack and Teal’c for dinner.  Taking a short cut through one corner of Central Park, they had been engrossed in their discussion of the day’s presentations.  Neither of them had noticed the young girl huddled begging on the ground, the baggage of her homelessness gathered around her. 

Daniel had been chagrined at nearly stepping over her.  Stopping, he pulled out his wallet and handed the waif a $50 note.  The look of amazed gratitude on her face had more than made up for the scratch of her fingernails on the back of his hand as she snatched the bill.  They had continued on, talking about the sad state of the homeless.  It was only a short distance before he began to feel dizzy.  Hazily, he could remember staggering - clutching at Sam as his knees buckled - a disconnected roaring in his head blurring Sam’s cries.  The fading sound of feet pounding on the grass was his last memory as he slid into darkness. 

Only to awaken here, in this empty, echoing building.  Naked, confused, hands and feet spread wide apart, bound to the ringbolts set in the floor.  Pegged out like a tanned hide left to dry in the sun.  His outrage at being treated in such a fashion was tempered by the certain knowledge that any minute now a very pissed off Special Forces Colonel would be knocking on, if not down, the door, accompanied by one equally homicidally inclined USAF Major Doctor and one unforgiving, remorselessly unstoppable former First Prime.

 _Right about now would be good, guys._

But time had slowly ground along.  No one had come crashing to his rescue.  His calls for help had been answered only by two anonymous men - their faces concealed by ski masks.  They had ignored his questions, his pleas for reassurance that Sam was all right, his desperate attempt to bargain with them, to offer a better deal for his release.

In chilling silence they had set about - preparing - him.  Daniel was under no illusions that their actions were preparing him.  For what, he really didn’t want to contemplate.  First, they had photographed him - headshot only for which he was embarrassingly grateful - then his identity confirmed by comparing his ID and actual face with a sheaf of papers.  Then with precise impersonal touches, he had been subjected first to having the entire contents of his stomach pumped out, then to having his bowels and bladder flushed out.  They had departed as silently as they had come, leaving him exhausted, trembling and utterly humiliated.

The twittering of birds outside announced dawn was on its way.  With every passing hour, slivers of panic and dread became a little bit stronger.  Whoever these people were, their cool efficient handling of him told Daniel that this was not a random kidnapping.  Not a hastily snatched opportunity for the NID to squeeze information from him.  No, this was well planned, well funded, with a clear goal - just one that he couldn’t see.  God, how far back had their planning gone?  Had they orchestrated the invitation for Catherine and Ernest to present their papers, knowing they would ask him to attend?  Daniel clenched his jaw in anger.  The thought of his gentle friends being manipulated in such a callous way…

Behind him, a door squeaked open.  Footsteps moved toward him.  Pulling futilely on his chains, Daniel raged inside at being so vulnerable.  Silent as ever, his two tormentors knelt one on either side of him. 

“I don’t suppose we can talk about this?  I mean, whatever you have in mind, realistically you must know you’ll never get away with it.”  Daniel craned his head, eyes straining to make contact with those of his captors, words coming quickly, filled with dread and desperation.

“You obviously know who I am, that I work for very powerful people.  They won’t stop until they find me and shoot you.” 

 _Déjà vu._  

Daniel managed to crack a nervous grin, trying to imply that if they let him go right now his friends would forgo the pleasure of introducing them to their own innards.

Unpacking packets and boxes he could not see clearly, they once again ignored him.  Turning his left hand, one of them swiftly inserted a catheter into the largest vein on the back of his hand, connected an IV bag of saline, then proceeded to inject a syringe full of a bright green substance into the fluid flooding into his body. 

“OW!  God.  What are you people doing?”

No answer.  Big surprise. 

A dull, numbing sensation swept through Daniel’s body.  Appalled he could track its progress up his arm, out across his chest, down into his right arm, through his stomach to his hips and legs.  He opened his mouth for one last protest, only to emit a shocked “Hey!” as the silent machinator on his right snaked a hand between his legs, grabbed his penis and none too gently inserted another catheter.

 

Å

 

Daniel let his head bang back down onto the concrete, lethargy stealing over him as the drug did its work.  More fumbling beside him, then to Daniel’s surprise, his ankles were released from their restraints.  His legs were straightened and brought together.  Cold impersonal hands adjusted his genitals and the trailing catheter tube.  Then he felt something wrap around his ankles.  A fresh slice of fear stabbed through Daniel’s heart.  With an effort he raised his head and looked down the length of his body - to take in the chilling sight of the two men methodically binding his ankles together with a reel of an odd shimmering fabric.  As one man lifted his legs off the ground the other coolly wrapped the fabric up over both feet, then ran it back down over his ankles and headed steadily up his calves, over his knees and on to his thighs.

“No.  God, _lac_.  Don’t…  _Ana mish_ … I don‘t _…_ ” The drug in his veins was making it difficult to speak now, but Daniel wanted to try anyway to convince them just how wrong this was.  The words were jumbling up inside his mouth, Egyptian Arabic mingling nonsensically with English.  In contrast, his mind was crystal clear: relentlessly producing a veritable film festival of images of his helpless body being mummified and buried alive.

Strong hands under his back and thighs lifted his body, the bindings continued up over his hips, leaving nothing but the catheter tube showing.  There they stopped.  Still in unnerving silence, the two moved to the chains binding his arms to the ringbolts.  They released them and brought his arms back down to lie along his torso - hands placed palm down on his belly.  Daniel’s heart was doing its best to pound a path out of his chest, but the numbing cold of the drug was reaching even there and it settled into a sick, fluttering thud.

“Seebni li waHidi!” _Leave me alone!_

Robbed now of the ability to even minutely struggle, Daniel felt their hands pull him into a half sitting position.  Felt the cold satin of the fabric loop snugly over his stomach, his chest, and his shoulders.  His arms were pinned along his torso, so firmly that he could barely wriggle, but not so tightly that the circulation was interrupted.  On reaching his neck, they halted again.  A pause, then he felt something small secured over his voice box.  Again he protested, but Daniel now found his last defence was taken from him.

No sound issued from Daniel’s throat, not even a whisper.  His desperation, fright, frustration and anger found the only path of expression open to him now.  Tears welled in his eyes, slowly dribbled down the side of his face. 

Fingers pried at his mouth.  Numbly he clenched his jaw, but to no avail.  Thin, wiry, bitter tasting tendrils snaked into his mouth, through his teeth and wrapped caressingly around his tongue.  For one horrified moment, Daniel expected the devices to continue on down his throat, but they stopped, clutched around his tongue, preventing him from swallowing it.

Daniel gazed up at his abusers; pleading silently, desperately, futilely for this to end.

 _Jack.  Why haven’t you found me yet?_

 _Is Sam okay?_

Images of her lying dead in the park refused to stop tormenting him. An oxygen cannula was shoved into his nose.  His head was lifted, the binding resumed.  As the wrappings reached his eyes, one of the men reached out a hand to briefly, gently cup his face.  Daniel’s desperate frightened eyes sent one last plea for help into that masked face.  Then the hand moved softly, resting on his eyelids and gently pushed them closed.

Daniel now found himself cut off from nearly all his senses; blind, touch limited to the feel of his constricted body, unable to speak or cry out.  All he had left was his hearing.  His head now completely encased in the binding, he heard the two move away from him.

Silence for a short while.  Daniel found straining to listen for sounds helped to keep the terrors of his imagination at bay - somewhat.

Long silent moments.  He could hear a faint mechanical whirring close by.  The whoosh of oxygen being forced into his lungs.  Tentatively, he tried to move - a ridiculous image of himself rolling across the floor and out the door to freedom flashing through his mind.  _Yeah, right._   He couldn’t even manage to wiggle a finger or toe.  The combination of drugs and bindings held his body perfectly immobile.

There, further back in the room, an electronic beeping.  Footsteps.  Then, startlingly loud in the dawn quiet, a ringing, harshly mechanical sound.  An all too familiar sound.  A sound that had no business being on this planet. 

 _No. no, nononononononono…  Oh, please.  Now would be a good time, Jack._

Transportation rings.  Here.  Whoever it was, they were coming for him.  That meant - what?

 _A Ha’tak in orbit?  No.  Asgard treaty - they’d know._

 _Tel’tak.  Tel’tak with a cloaking device._

 _Why is everything called a ‘device?’_

 _Probably hovering just overhead._

 _Please, Jack, please.  Teal’c, Sam, come on guys.  If these people take me you’ll never find me._

Footsteps.  Returning to his side.  Something heavy placed next to him.  Without warning, hands seized his shoulders and thighs, lifting him.  A brief moment of vertigo, then his back came into contact with a cool hard surface, a hand under his head eased it down.

Despite being deprived of sight and touch, Daniel felt his sense of personal space was intruded upon, that walls were close about him. 

 _Walls… a box… oh, gods, noooo, no, NO, oh please someone help me…_

In a fraction of a second his mind blanked out in sheer terror, convinced he had been placed in a sarcophagus.  Barely registering the increased tempo of the mechanical whirring beside him, Daniel fell into a full-blown panic, screaming and railing in the silence of his mind.

Beside him, the life support machine registered his increased heart rate and duly administered another dose of its tranquillising drug.  As swiftly as it started, Daniel felt his panic recede, pushed away by the deadening drugs.  When reason began to show its face once more he saw how improbable it was for his captor to have brought a sarcophagus. 

 _No it’s just some kind of transport container, that’s all.  That’s it.  Just a box.  Just a box they’re going to seal me in and take me away…   Merde.  JACK!!_

Movement close by brought his attention back.  Something banged above him, slightly shaking the object surrounding him.  Trying desperately to ignore the film festival in his head, which had resumed with a season of really bad horror movies, Daniel became aware of a third set of footsteps approaching him.  Solid metallic sounding footsteps.  Coming nearer.  He flinched inwardly when a heavy hand rested on his head, petting him almost soothingly.

And then a voice - the first voice he had heard since this whole nightmare had begun.  A voice he instantly recognised.  A voice that had no business being on this planet.

“Well, I TOLD you.  You ARE worth WAY more than a day’s rations.”

 


End file.
